Treatment at Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic doctors trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation and other staff offer a full range of brain rehabilitation treatment options for you, from intensive hospital care through outpatient and community-based services.

Brain rehabilitation during acute hospital care

Mayo Clinic doctors and other staff trained in brain rehabilitation become involved in providing and coordinating your care as soon as you arrive at the hospital. They work closely with the hospital treatment team, initiating your rehabilitation assessment and treatment while closely monitoring your progress and planning for the next step. Brain rehabilitation specialists play a central role in teaching you and your family about your condition.

Brain rehabilitation unit

If you need further rehabilitation treatment after your condition has stabilized and your rehabilitation team determines staying in the hospital is the best place to receive it, you'll be admitted to the state-of-the-art inpatient brain rehabilitation unit at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus, in Rochester, Minnesota.

Rooms, therapy and social areas in the unit are designed to provide you and your family with a comfortable atmosphere. Each room has plenty of space to accommodate wheelchairs and other equipment.

The unit has a patio for easy access to the outdoors, a lounge area and laundry facilities. A specially designed apartment is available where you can practice and improve daily living skills.

In inpatient rehabilitation, your treatment team will help you to transition to living at home independently, living at home with assistance or to another type of living facility. Your team will work with you to help improve physical, mental and behavioral functioning.

Your therapy and treatment will depend on your individual needs. Brain rehabilitation specialists will work with you and your family to discuss treatment goals and determine ways to meet those goals.

Outpatient rehabilitation

Outpatient rehabilitation focuses on helping you improve your physical, cognitive and behavioral functioning so that you can live and work as independently as possible after your condition has stabilized.

Brain Rehabilitation Clinic

You'll be evaluated by staff in the Brain Rehabilitation Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to determine which combination of services most appropriately meets your needs. If you need a new patient evaluation, ask your doctor to make a referral to Mayo's Brain Rehabilitation Clinic. An evaluation team reviews your referral prior to your evaluation to ensure that the appropriate doctors and staff are involved.

Your evaluation may include referrals to any member of the brain rehabilitation team. Your treatment team may include doctors trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, and other specialists.

Treatment team members work with you and your family to establish your treatment start date, establish your treatment goals and determine ways for you to meet those goals. The team meets regularly to monitor your treatment and progress.

Mayo Clinic staff members also can help you find local housing, transportation and financial assistance for medical expenses. The rehabilitation nurse, neuropsychologist, clinical social worker, vocational coordinator and other specialists are available to provide family education and support. Your family and friends are encouraged to participate in many program activities.

Vocational case coordination. Mayo Clinic staff help you develop a plan to resume work in your previous job field, help you develop new career goals or find ways to best resume other productive activities.

Neuromuscular brain rehabilitation program. Physical and occupational therapists trained in brain rehabilitation use state-of-the-art approaches to treat mobility and motor control limitations and to maximize re-integration into independent living.

Speech and language rehabilitation. In individual therapy sessions, speech and language therapists work with you to reduce any language-based or other limitations to effective communication you may experience.

Brain Injury Coping Skills Group (BICS). BICS is a small group treatment program that consists of 12 sessions, each two hours in length, co-facilitated by a neuropsychologist and clinical social worker. The group is designed to help both survivors with brain injuries as well as family members or caregivers.

In BICS, a large amount of education and training about brain injury will be provided, and you will learn important skills for coping with the effects of your injury.

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